Nine Lives
by blacknails512
Summary: A series of nine  or more  different oneshots about how Alec and Magnus could've met. Mostly AU/AH but there will be some shadowhunting in there. Rated T mostly for angst and language. Don't forget to read and review!
1. Cemetery Drive

**A/N- Good morrow Fanfictioners, I have come to you with an idea. This is a series of nine (hence the title) different ways that Alec and Magnus could have met each other. And it's also nine because Magnus has cat eyes and cats have nine lives and Magnus has pretty much lived nine lifetimes and… yeah whatever. It will mostly be all human and alternate universes, but there may be some shadowhunting in there and it'll also be mostly Alec's POV because I write him better than I write Magnus. I already have all nine of the oneshots plotted out, but if you suggest something I'll write some more. I am practically shitting out ideas over here.  
>Disclaimer- Hey man, I don't own the Mortal Instruments series. It would be awesome if I did. <strong>

"Stephen Lightwood was one of the greatest shadowhunters I've ever had the pleasure to meet," the white-clad man went on. "He came all the way from London after his father Gabriel passed as well. Stephen was such a good-hearted…"

_By the Angel_, I thought. _How long is this speech going to be?_

Great grandpa Lightwood had died after nearly one hundred years of shadowhunting and every last Lightwood in the entire world was in the cemetery for his funeral. I wouldn't have been so calm had it been someone I actually _knew_, but great grandpa Lightwood wasn't someone I was close to. My mother and father were different altogether; apparently my great grandfather was really important to them. He had done something to help stop Valentine or to join Valentine or _something_. He had something to do with Valentine and pretty much saved my parents' lives.

If only I knew him.

My white suit was uncomfortably small and the rain pounding and dripping across my flimsy umbrella didn't help distract me from that fact. There was mud practically flowing through the space in-between my strategically placed feet it was raining so hard. Both Isabelle and Jace were irritated that we had to be there and Max was allowed to stay at home and read comic books. Being almost eighteen, I figured I could somehow get out of it, but my mother insisted it would help me learn more about my heritage.

Sighing, I looked down at my now brown shoes and raised my eyebrows at them. I don't know why, but I took out my irritated feelings on my shoes. I was mentally calling them stupid and lame and a whole bunch of other rude adjectives that I heard Jace say. When the word 'gay' came to mind I almost had a mini heart attack right there.

Jace used that word as an insult all the time but I didn't understand why. What was wrong with being gay? Was it a disease or something, because sometimes he acted like it was. I was a (very) closeted gay at the time, living in fear because if my parents found out I would be disowned. My master plan was to keep it a big secret, marry a nice shadowhunter girl, have a bunch of kids to keep the family name going, and die unhappy.

That'll _totally _work.

My glazed eyes moved over to a bare tree behind the grey man that was speaking and I noticed someone that definitely wasn't there before. He was very tall, probably exceeding my height, and even though he was leaning against the tree nonchalantly I knew he was watching us.

From the angle he was at and the lack of shelter from the rain provided by the tree he was under, I could clearly see him heave a sigh at the coffin like he was disappointed in it. As a shadowhunter, I was trained to read lips, brail, and a plethora of languages so I could figure out the words he was speaking, though I was far away.

"Another Lightwood gone," was what he said. The next thing he said was lost to me; I believe it was some sort of demonic language he was speaking.

Demonic language… I thought he was a demon for a split second and I almost sprung forward to warn someone. Luckily, my shoes were stuck in the muddy ground and I couldn't move all that well. I realized that he was probably a warlock or something, not a demon. If he were a pure demon he wouldn't have been able to get that close to holy ground.

His eyes lifted up and met mine. A startled gasp came from my lips, causing Izzy to glance at me oddly. His eyes were similar to those of a cat, with slit pupils and irises of an eerie green color in the dim light. A fire seemed to be behind them but there was also some sort of calmness as well. The unique eyes lit up when they saw mine and he grinned at me.

"Hello," he mouthed to me.

I couldn't seem to get my lips to form a word so I just gaped at him. He didn't have an umbrella and water dripped down his hair to pool at his booted feet, but he made no move to leave. I glanced around; no one else seemed to notice him.

Those cat eyes followed my every movement and I took a second to get a real good look at him. The distraction of his eyes mixed with the hazy fog from the rain made it hard to concentrate but I focused my hardest. It may have just been the rain, but his hair was long and dark with something shimmery in it. Glitter? The eyeliner he was wearing wasn't running either, and I assumed he had an enchantment on it or something. Unless, of course, they made waterproof eyeliner. His skin was caramel colored and completely flawless.

He was beautiful.

One of those lined eyes fell down to wink at me and my breath was taken away. The odd man snapped his fingers and I thought he was cursing me or something so I quickly grasped Izzy's elbow and she turned to look at me.

"Who is that?" I whispered, pointing in the direction of the man.

"Who is who?" Isabelle asked, raising her eyebrows at me.

I followed the direction of my finger and saw that the man was gone. The only things left were two muddy footprints in the ground.

"Never mind," I muttered. "Forget it."

"Whatever." She turned back to the grey and _still_ speaking man near the coffin. "Crazy."

I looked at the coffin as well, shaking my head a little. The man was still burning in my mind every time I blinked. I shoved my free hand into my pocket and my fingers closed around a folded piece of paper. Stealthily taking it out, I unfolded it quickly and tried not to get it wet by holding it underneath my umbrella. That paper had absolutely not been there before. The words _Call me_ and a full cell phone number were scribbled onto the now damp piece of paper. I smiled and shoved it back in my pocket, attempting to look innocent.

So much for my master plan.

**A/N- Well, how did you like it? There are eight more of these to come (or so I planned), so review and let me know if you have any suggestions for me. I love to hear what you guys have to say. Don't worry, Innocent will still be updating regularly but this is a way to get rid of writer's block. Like I said earlier, I already have the next eight ideas ready.  
>-Ella :D<br>P.S. – All of the oneshots are based off of MCR songs, so props to anyone who knows the album they came from. **


	2. Heaven Help Us

**A/N- Thanks for all of your reviews! They made me happy. Here's number two! Enjoy!  
>Disclaimer- Bitch, I don't own nothing. Stop making me say it. <strong>

Another passerby glared at me from my spot against the outside wall of the library and I shoved my hands in my dirty pockets, trying to protect my bare fingers from the cold December air. It surprised me that anyone was even outside that day; according to the newspaper that was thrown at me earlier it was Christmas Eve.

Almost four years had passed and yet I was still on the streets, barely surviving on my own. No one would talk to me but I got glared at and beaten up all the time. It was Manhattan; of course no one would try to help me.

"That poor Lightwood boy," they would say when they passed, shaking their head with pity. "His mind isn't the same anymore."

Truth is I wasn't crazy at all. I simply didn't speak or interact with anyone else, fearing what would happen. No, I was completely sane… just gay.

My parents kicked me out when I told them on my 18th birthday; they just threw me out of the house and cut me off completely. I was used to a life of ease and luxuries, always having someone wait on me and never having to worry about finances. Being forced into the real world without a clue had taken a toll on me.

At first, I felt like I could survive on my own so I got a job and an apartment, all the while taking classes at the local community college. The only problem was that the job I had was only part-time so I could go to school, and no other jobs would hire me because I didn't have my degree. Eventually, I got fired and had to quit school. My apartment's rent skyrocketed and I could no longer pay for it so they kicked me out, too.

The kind ladies at the library had let me stay there for a few weeks, insisting I go to child services, but that wouldn't have worked because I was already 18. The library had been a second home to me anyways but then it started losing business because everyone in town was convinced that I was a total loony tune.

Much to my dismay, the librarians had to send me out on my own as well and I had to live on the streets, surviving on scraps from grocery stores and food markets alone. It took near death from starvation to finally make me dig through trash cans to find food. It was horrible and degrading but I didn't want to die, just in case there was still some hope for me.

There wasn't.

My stomach growled and I clutched at it with my gloved hand. The fingers of said gloves were cut off; they were abandoned in an old dumpster so of course I took them, but they didn't do much to protect me from the frigid air.

It had been nearly three days since I'd eaten anything and I could easily count all of my ribs. Usually I only went one day without food, but with the holidays close by everyone was stocking up on food. I had seen in the newspaper that a snowstorm was supposedly about to hit, and I would be lying if I said I was surprised. It was just my luck.

It growled again, more painful that time, and I curled into a ball against the wall of the library, letting the tears in my eyes slip down my cheeks only to freeze there.

Something white and fluffy in the sky fell onto my knee, disappearing into the fabric of my ratty jeans. I looked up, coming to face many more of the tiny crystals falling from the clouds above. It was snowing, and getting harder by the minute.

* * *

><p>I walked down the slick street to a nice little shop near the library, humming to myself with a small smile on my face. It was Christmas Eve and my best girlfriend Camille was bugging me all day every day about what I was going to get her. My idea was to buy the best lipstick in the world and then find her gift. Dipping my finger into the bag of potato chips I was eating, I sighed contently and kept grinning. I didn't usually eat junk food, but hey, it was the holidays.<p>

The icy patches on the sidewalk were tricking me constantly and the tight, knee length coat I had on wasn't helping keep me warm all that well. My goal was to get to the store, buy my lipstick and designer boots for Camille, then get home before the blizzard started.

I stopped short when I saw someone through the snowflakes out of the corner of my eye and almost fell on my ass. My fashion sense may have been superb, but designer boots had no traction whatsoever.

A bundled yet breathing mess leaning up against the outside of the library made me do I double take and my feet were carrying me over to the person before I knew why. It was a man; I could tell by the way he was sitting. What shocked me was not that he was outside in the middle of an oncoming blizzard, but that he was hardly wearing any clothing. He was worse off than I was, only wearing a threadbare sweater and I pair of jeans. Well, at least he was wearing boots. I bet his toes were warm. But his long dark hair fell almost to his shoulders without a hat to keep his ears toasty.

_Wait_, I thought as he lifted his head up to look at the sky. _I know you_.

It was Alexander Lightwood, from my old school. We went to so-called 'college' together, down at the community center on Main Street. He had stayed there for a few semesters and seemed like a pretty okay kid. We weren't very close but you could say we were friends… Actually, I had a _huge_ crush on him but then he seemed to disappear and I gave up on him.

The rumor around town was that he had gone crazy, but he didn't _look_ crazy. He just looked cold and lonely so I continued toward him.

When I knelt down in front of him, he flinched and flattened himself against the brick wall, attempting to shy away from me. My appearance probably didn't help to make me look less intimidating either.

I usually wore more glitter than I had that day, but my makeup was bright and sparkly, my clothes even brighter, and my hair spiked up with about seven different shades of silver and blue and green in it. I didn't seem very friendly from afar.

"Alexander?" I asked softly. His perfect blue eyes took on a hint of realization after a few moments of him staring at me. Those gorgeous eyes drifted down to the bag of potato chips hungrily and I handed it to him. I expected him to dig into it and stuff his face with the salty goodness -he was so gaunt and pale that he couldn't have eaten anything lately- but he hesitantly took out a chip and nibbled on it all the while staring at me with his big doe eyes.

I remembered then why I fell for him.

"Alexander," I said again. "Do you remember me?"

He started eating the chips faster as he figured out that they were safe to eat but kept his eyes on me. It took a few seconds, but he nodded and cleared his throat. "You're Magnus," he said in a scratchy voice, probably from underuse. "Right?" I noticed that he had frozen tear tracks on his porcelain skin. I believe something in my heart cracked at that moment.

"I know you're not crazy," I said quietly. "You just need someone to help you."

He nodded and sniffled, handing me the now empty bag. "Thanks for the chips," he whispered.

"Come with me," I said, standing up and stretching my back. I held down my hand for him to take but he just looked at it. "I'll buy you some real food and get you somewhere warm to stay."

"N-no, that's not… you don't have to," he stuttered. "It's fine, really."

Sighing, I grabbed his gloved hand and forced him to his feet. The tips of his fingers were freezing. "I really want to help you," I said. "It's not a problem at all. Just think of it as a friend helping another friend."

"But-"

"Alexander," I said firmly, walking briskly to the department store. "It's Christmas Eve. No one deserves to be on the streets during the holidays."

He stopped me before we entered the store and met my eyes. "Thank you," he said, so much power behind those two words.

I smiled at him and he smiled a shy one back at me. "No need to thank me," I said. "It's my pleasure."

**A/N- Magnus is such a sweetie! You gotta love Magnus freaking Bane! If you do, then review right now. I **_**think**_** I might continue this to a real story once I'm done with the seven other oneshots and my three other stories… Heh, yeah I've got a lot of writing going on. :D School starts on Monday so I'll be even busier but I will try my damnedest to update regularly. Peacealate brochachos!  
>-Ella, who would totally date Magnus Bane if Alec hadn't gotten there first.<br>P.S. - The last chapter title (Cemetery Drive) was from Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. Does anyone know which one this is from? *cough*mbrattoo*cough***


	3. Demolition Lovers

**A/N- I loved your reviews/favorites/alerts! All those emails in my inbox made me happy. :) Thank you so much! On to the oneshot!  
>Disclaimer- I don't own the Mortal Instruments series, like at <strong>_**all**_**.**

I sat quietly on the bench in front of the bus stop with my backpack on the ground next to me, alone as I waited for the bus to come by and whisk me away to my parents' house for winter break. They hadn't seen me since I went off to college and I'd told them that I had some really important things to tell them. On Christmas Eve, which was the next day, I was going to come out to them. I'd been stuck in the closet for nearly six years and it was about time that they knew. Besides, if it turns out that they totally hate and disown me I could always hide back at my university and never see them again. Easy peasy pumpkin peasy, right?

The cold December air whipped across my cheeks like razors and I pulled my sweater closer to me. At that moment, I wished I had actually worn a winter coat, instead of a threadbare sweater. I was thankful to move and get my blood flowing again when the bus screeched to a stop in front of me.

Hefting my bag onto my shoulder, I quickly climbed the few stairs and gave some change to the driver. Unfortunately, everyone within a twenty mile radius was using that particular bus to get out of town for the holidays and there were absolutely no seats left; standing room only. I sighed silently and walked to the middle of the large bus, gripping the handle above my head.

My eyes drifted to the closed windows when the metal contraption moved again. The world outside was bleak and grey, light snow falling to the cold ground. It always snowed on Christmas in New York; I couldn't remember a winter when there _wasn't_ snow. I wasn't complaining about it, though; I liked the cold better than the heat. It gave me an excuse to wear jeans and sweaters more often.

Pain was starting to seep through my shoulder and I held back a grimace as I shifted the bag I was carrying. It held most of the things I needed for my stay back at home, but it was still heavy because I crammed everything I could into that thing. The zipper was hardly closed. I would've set it down on the floor, but there was hardly enough room for my feet, there was no way it would fit there.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a nice-looking man move his messenger bag out of his seat and set in on his lap, gesturing for me to sit next to him. He didn't seem like a pedophile or an ax-murderer so I smiled shyly and sat next to him, trying to keep my knees from collapsing under the weight of my huge bag.

"Thanks," I breathed, still smiling.

He smiled back at me. He had tan skin and jet black hair, with red and green streaks in it along with red, green, and white clothing. It was all very bright and festive. "You're very welcome," he said smoothly.

I think I almost died. His voice was like silk; smooth and rich. It flowed over me and filled my ears with a sweet melody. Never in my life had I heard something like that, nor had I interpreted someone's voice in that way, but it was pretty amazing. I blinked and snapped out of my spacing when he spoke again.

"It _is _the holidays," he said. "And you looked like you were about to fall over with that bag you're holding."

I gave him a nervous/shy laugh and blushed a little. "Yeah, I'm going to visit the family this weekend," I said. "Had to have everything with me."

He chuckled and that smile was making my heart pound. "Visiting, huh?" he repeated. His tan hand patted his messenger bag that now resided on his lap and I noticed that his fingernails were painted the same green as his eyes. "Me, too. You go to college around here?"

"Mhm," I said, looking down at my boots so I stopped staring at his eyes. They were a bright green color with specs of gold in them. He'd probably think I was super creepy if I kept staring at him. "I go to Raziel Academy."

A low, appreciative whistle escaped his light pink lips. "That's impressive," he muttered. "I couldn't get into that school if I tried."

There was nothing I could think to say that wouldn't end up inadvertently insulting him so I just laughed softly and watched him smile again.

"I hear that's a tough school," he said. "You must be smart."

I shrugged and blushed again. I'd only known the guy for three minutes and he'd already made me blush two times. "I guess you could say that."

"Well, what are you majoring in?" he asked, genuinely interested.

"Biochemistry," I said.

That laugh filled my ears and I smiled at the sound. "You're smart," he concluded. "I'm not even completely sure what that is. I don't want to know, either; my head might explode."

We both laughed at that one I bit my lip when his eyes sparkled. He seemed like an all-around nice guy and I was glad that my bus ride was so long. I didn't want to stop talking to him.

"Where do you go?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going. That translates to; I just wanted to hear him talk.

"Idris," he said. "I'm majoring in the arts."

"What kind?" I asked.

"Right now I'm really into cartooning and drawing but my teacher tells me I'm a good singer," I explained.

"I bet you are a good singer," I said quietly. "You have a nice voice."

His eyes bore into my neck until I lifted my head up to meet his gaze. "Thanks," he said.

"You're very welcome."

I watched him look out the window and felt a chill go through me. Something wasn't right… The way the snow was getting icy on the pavement and how fast the huge bus was going around a tight curve made me nervous. I think I knew what was going to happen a split second before it actually happened but there was no way I could stop it.

The old tires on that bus weren't exactly made for icy roads and the bus driver obviously wasn't paying as much attention as he should have. He took that turn much too fast, causing the bus to skid on the slick patch of ice in the road and flip completely over then skid to a stop against a tree. Everyone was tossed around and right before the world melted away from me, I felt someone's warm hand slip into mine.

The next few hours were a blur of sirens and small flashes of consciousness. One thing I remembered perfectly was opening my eyes for a split second and hearing the sirens, seeing the blue and red lights spinning around in a circle everywhere. I was on my back and being rolled towards an ambulance. The last thing I remember seeing is the nice man on his own stretcher, eyes closed and barely breathing.

"Yes, mom, I'm fine," I said again, scratching at the stitches in my left arm. "No head trauma, no internal bleeding, nothing. I was just knocked unconscious from the impact."

She'd been freaking out for hours before I called her; apparently it was all over the news. Four people died, including a little girl. I was lucky enough to have been on the other side of the bus when it crashed but it was still a scary thought. Four people. One of them might've been the man I'd been talking to.

"Yeah, I've got my things. They said I could leave in about an hour," I explained. "I'll call you if anything else comes up. Love you, too. Bye." I hung up and sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. It was the day before Christmas Eve and I'd gotten in a freaking car crash. Part of me wanted to run to my family and hug them like there was no tomorrow. Another part of me didn't want to tell them I'd almost died then announce that I was gay. And _another_ part of me just wanted to make sure the man from the bus was alive.

I was just about to decide to leave the hallway and go to the café one floor down for some coffee when I heard it. _His _voice. That smooth silk was floating through the hallway and I turned my head in the direction it was coming from. There was a small room at the end of the hall that a doctor had just walked out of. There were white coats everywhere, the entire hospital was overwhelmed.

My stiff legs carried me towards the room and I poked my head in the open door. There he was, very much alive, with a few stitches in his forehead and some bruises. Other than that, he looked perfectly fine. He was sitting at the end of his hospital bed, lacing up his high-top Converse shoes and singing a carol under his breath. For someone who had just gotten into a crash, he was acting very happy. Probably because he was alive.

I cleared my throat and said meekly, "Hi."

He looked up and smiled at me, sweeping his black hair across one of his bright eyes to cover up the stitches. "Hello there," he said happily. "Merry Christmas Eve Eve."

"You, too," I said.

"How ya holding up?" he asked kindly.

"I should be asking you the same thing," I said. "Last time I saw you, you were unconscious."

"Well, I'm all better now." He proved his point by standing up and stretching. "Just a little shaken up."

I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled sadly at him. "You know, I never got your name."

He strolled over to me and grinned. "Magnus," he said, sticking out his hand.

"Alec." I shook his hand and he smiled at me. "I was just about to get some coffee downstairs. Would you like to join me?"

The expression on his face made me blush but I gave a relieved sigh when he said, "I'd love that."

**A/N- Magnus x Alec + coffee = L-O-V-E! You know what else equal love? REVIEWS. Just thought I'd put that out there. I have a special oneshot in mind for the anniversary of 9/11 and I hope I'll get that posted by the eleventh. I think it'd be a nice thing to post for that day. Innocent will probably be updated today or tomorrow as well.  
>Fair winds, Fanfictioners.<br>-Ella, who believes that music cures everything. Yes, she **_**does**_** know that was random. Get over it. **


	4. Skylines and Turnstiles

**A/N- I loved your reviews. This may be a little sad, you've been warned. Btw, they're all the same age as they are in the books, just so you know.  
>Disclaimer- I don't own like… anything.<strong>

No one had seen it coming that day. It was bright and sunny, a nice breeze coursing through the air and sending the tips of peoples' hair flowing across their necks. All in all, it was a perfect day. And yet, it happened anyway. The weather had nothing to do with the oncoming event

* * *

><p><strong>7:30 AM<strong>

I was giddy with happiness that morning. My father had accepted me after I told him I was gay and it was bring your son to work day. My younger brother, Max, and my adopted brother Jace were all going to the North Tower in the city to help him with work. It would've been the best day ever.

The four of us got off the train in the morning and took the elevator to the 88th floor. I wasn't sure how many floors total were in that building, but there were hundreds of thousands of people in the building at one time. I was surprised it didn't collapse under the weight of all those people. Ironically enough, my first thought as I arrived on the 88th floor was, _This place could survive anything thrown at it._

"Now, boys," my dad said, stopping us outside the door to his office. "Things may not be very exciting today, but I will still have work to do. If you three get separated without my knowledge, go to this exact place again, understand?"

The four of us nodded.

"It's a big place," he said, opening the door to his office. "I don't want my sons getting lost."

* * *

><p><strong>7:45 AM<strong>

"Dad," I whined again. "This is gonna be so boring, do I _have to go_?"

"Yes, Magnus," he said. "I'm getting you out of school today, you could at least be thankful."

I sighed and followed him into the elevator that went to the 88th floor. It was bring your son to work day, but I would've rather been in school talking to Camille and Ragnor about whatever the latest gossip was, not sitting in a huge building all day with my dad.

"Will you please just lighten up a little?" he asked softly. "I want you here today, you can help me help the world."

"Alright, fine," I agreed, trudging into the office he worked in.

* * *

><p><strong>8:41 AM<strong>

"Alexander," my dad said in my ear. "Mr. Bane and I have to go across to the South Tower. Will you keep an eye on Jace?"

"Sure," I muttered. "What about Max?"

"We're going to take him with us," my dad explained quickly. "He wants to see what it looks like. We'll be back in an hour or two. Why don't you talk to Mr. Bane's son until we get back?"

"Uhm, okay, sure," I stuttered.

I watched silently as my little brother and dad walked out with a tan skinned man to head to the other equally huge building.

Socially awkward and now alone to make sure Jace didn't get killed, I stood in the corner of the medium sized room with a cup of black coffee. There sure were a lot of boys in the room and they all looked busy… except for one. He was really tall, taller than me, with the same color skin as Mr. Bane and the same dark hair. He seemed very bright and colorful, like a human rainbow.

Without realizing what I was doing, I walked over to him and he smiled at me. "Hello there," he greeted me kindly.

"Hi," I said meekly. "Are you Mr. Bane's son?"

He nodded and his ebony hair fell into one of his green eyes. "You're a Lightwood, right?"

"Yeah." I stuck my hand out. "I'm Alec."

I didn't catch his name after that, I was too busy looking out the window behind him. There was a plane nearby, flying much too close to the building. When the boy's hand slipped out of mine from our brief handshake, I figured out what was going to happen a second too late. Right as I was about to open up my mouth and say something the building shook, sending waves of tremors traveling through the floor. People were tumbling over each other and the electricity was instantly shut off. We all would've been in pitch black darkness, had it not been the morning.

There was a moment when there was nothing but complete silence. It was almost as if every living thing had held their breath for a second, just to try and process what had happened. Then screams that seemed to seep out of the walls to fill the empty spaces of the room sounded and everyone was hysterical. My first instinct was that there had been an earthquake of some sort, but even I didn't believe myself. That plane had purposely flown into the North Tower and I was standing in the aftermath.

* * *

><p><strong>8:50 AM<strong>

"_We've just gotten word that a plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. There is no clear news as to why this has happened, some think the plane had gone out of control, others believe it may be the work of terrorists. 911 dispatchers have already called emergency vehicles to arrive immediately."_

Someone with their head on straight had managed to find a wireless radio we could use to figure out what was going on. I was scared out of my mind. Jace was nowhere to be found and Max and my father were in the other tower.

Mr. Bane's son started telling people to get out of the tower, and that things weren't going to get any better if we all just stood there. Everyone started pushing and flooding towards the door. Imagine our shock when we found half of the hallway on fire. There was no way to get out. We were trapped.

* * *

><p><strong>9:15 AM<strong>

The walkie-talkie on the Bane kid's belt buzzed with static but the words "South Tower" and "been hit" came through. We had barely managed to get out of the room on the 88th floor and down a few floors. Everyone else had found an unblocked stairwell and ran down it to safety on the ground, yet I knew we weren't out of the danger zone yet.

Me and the boy were walking around the floors below us to help anyone who couldn't get out after finding that all of the levels above us were destroyed or on fire. The plane had flown into one of the 90th floors and no one above that level could get out; all of the emergency stairwells were blocked by debris and fire.

"Hello?" the boy called into the hallway, shining his flashlight into a room or two. After getting no answer, he took my wrist and dragged me away from a crack in the ceiling. Our thoughts were that the entire building was in no way structurally sound, but there was no way we were going to leave if someone needed help.

"I can't believe both the towers were hit," the boy muttered to me, shock evident in his eyes. "This wasn't a coincidence."

"What do you think happened?" I asked quietly, following him to the staircase and down another flight. The farther down we went, the easier it was to see and breathe. That much told me that we were getting farther away from destruction and closer to safety.

"I don't know," he muttered. "But things like this don't just happen. There has to be a reason of some sort."

* * *

><p><strong>10:10 AM<strong>

In the hour or two that we had been searching, we found out that the Pentagon had been hit as well. I felt like we should have been panicking, that we should have been running around and getting out of the building instead of walking about trying to help people. I wasn't frantic until I found out the South Tower had completely collapsed.

As soon as the words hit my ears, I was darting across the hallway and down two stairs at a time, desperate to find my family. My sister and mom were at home or school, so I knew they would be alright. Unless someone flew a plane into the school, too. My mind was whipping around too many thoughts at a time and I couldn't breathe until the nice boy steadied me by putting his hands on my shoulders. I took a minute to breath and we carried on down the stairs at a safer pace.

"You go," he said. "I'll keep looking for people."

"But," I stuttered. "You're dad…"

"If he survived, tell him I'm fine and that I love him," he said quietly. "There are still people in this building and you need to find your family. Go."

"I really think you should come with me," I insisted. "It's not your job to get everyone out."

"It's not my job but I feel like I need to. Please, just go."

In an act of pure gratefulness, I pulled him into a hug and squeezed his waist tightly. "Thank you," I said as I pulled back. He gave me a grim smile and pushed me towards the stairs.

"Wait!" I called to him before he was out of sight. "What's your name?"

"There's no time for that!" he called. "Get to safety!"

He was right, there was no time to argue, so I nodded and took one final glance at him before taking off down the stairs.

* * *

><p><strong>10:23 AM<strong>

The scene outside was chaotic. Ambulances and fire trucks and police cars took up the entirety of the street surrounding the building and I was rushed away from the structures once I set foot on the ground. Debris still filled the air from what I assumed was the collapse of the South Tower and the North Tower was still on fire, right near the top.

I wasn't hurt, besides being a little shaken up and I quickly walked over to a firefighter, noticing something on the ground.

"Sir," I said. "There's a body here." I pointed my index finger down to the right of myself, gesturing to the mangled body of a man.

A sort of numbness took me over when he looked at me like I had grown two extra heads. I glanced around and saw that bodies were literally everywhere. The emergency people were stepping over corpses like they were used to it by that point. My stomach tumbled around and I felt my brain go dizzy.

I turned my head to look at the burning North Tower and felt my heart drop into my stomach then shoot up into my throat. There were people on the 90th floors jumping out of the building. Now it makes sense to me that they were getting out the only way possible. It was either jump or burn to death. But at that moment I was confused and scared for my own life, along with my families'. The thing that really made me ache for my family was seeing a pregnant women jump from one of the top floors. I wish I hadn't been that close to the building when she did so because the contorted shape of her body as she hit the asphalt is an image I can't get out of my brain.

The smoldering rubble of the South Tower left no hope in my body, not one bit. I couldn't help but think that there was absolutely no way my father and brother had made it out of there alive. It was a horrible feeling to know that half of your family was probably dead and there was nothing you could do about it.

An impossibly loud sound shook me to my core and I whipped around to see the North Tower collapsing in on itself. It looked like some had taken their foot and stepped on the roof, causing it to spiral downward. The sound of a building breaking like that was so _loud_ that it was _quiet_. It was just white noise after a few seconds and I stayed put, almost as if I was glued to the ground. It took both the determined firefighter and the gigantic dust and debris cloud coming from the tower to make me move.

I ran faster than I'd run in my life. Me, along with countless other shocked people, ran down the street at top speed and took cover underneath cars and ducked into buildings. I crawled underneath a truck and took on the fetal position for I don't even know how long until the white noise was replaced with screams of despair and grief.

A large crowd was moving towards a brick building on the side of the street and I followed suit, blending in with the mass of bodies. Everyone was covered in white dust, like it had been painted onto their skin. I was thankful to be mildly safe inside a bank.

The nonexistent hope soared back into my body when someone frantically called my name. I turned in their general direction and saw Jace barreling towards me. I caught him in a brotherly embrace and asked him where Max and Dad were.

His frown scared me. "I thought they were with you," he said.

* * *

><p>My father and little brother never made it out of the South Tower. People say they were trying to help evacuate the ones who really needed to get out and I'm proud of them. There was an entire group of people dedicated to making sure Max got out okay but the tower collapsed before they had a chance.<p>

The boy didn't survive either. It makes me feel awful, knowing that he got me out and had his life cruelly taken from him. Maybe if I had pushed him into come with me more or stayed with him or _something_ he would have been alive still… My mother said it's survivors guilt.

To this day, I still tell my story of how I got out of the North Tower and of the kind-hearted boy who pretty much saved my life. Whenever someone asks what his name was I say the same thing-

"I wish I knew."

**A/N- First and foremost, this was not meant to offend ANYONE OR ANYTHING! I swear on my life, I was in no way trying to offend anyone. Please, if you are offended, PM me or something to let me know so I can apologize personally. Did anyone cry while reading this? I tried to make it dramatic. Will you review so I know how I did? I don't know much about what happened on that day because I was like… four years old, but I looked it up and tried my best. That deserves reviews, right?  
>-Ella, who hopes no one hates her for killing Magnus. <strong>


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